Where Defeat Is Not An Option

Eliyahu Stern in a New York TimesOp-Ed argues that Americans have nothing to fear from the importation of Sharia law in to the United States – he likens laws banning Sharia to past attempts at excluding Jews from full civil rights:

…The suggestion that Shariah threatens American security is disturbingly reminiscent of the accusation, in 19th-century Europe, that Jewish religious law was seditious. In 1807, Napoleon convened an assembly of rabbinic authorities to address the question of whether Jewish law prevented Jews from being loyal citizens of the republic. (They said that it did not.)

Fear that Jewish law bred disloyalty was not limited to political elites; leading European philosophers also entertained the idea. Kant argued that the particularistic nature of “Jewish legislation” made Jews “hostile to all other peoples.” And Hegel contended that Jewish dietary rules and other Mosaic laws barred Jews from identifying with their fellow Prussians and called into question their ability to be civil servants…

This argument does strike a chord – not just in someone familiar with the history of anti-Semitic persecution in the Christian West, but even for those – like myself – who are Catholics and know how our ancestors were considered unsuited for American citizenship as we allegedly owed loyalty to a foreign prince, the Pope. Of course it was always nonsense to hold that Jews and Catholics couldn’t be good citizens of the United States – such views were just a hold-over of Protestant bigotries from centuries prior. And, of course, once Jews and Catholics became numerous in the United States and demonstrated their loyalty again and again, it became absurd for anyone to hold to those old bigotries. Is it the same for people of the Muslim faith? Are we just rushing to judgment before we’ve given Islamic Americans a chance to prove themselves?

Perhaps – but here is the difference: anti-Semitism and anti-Catholicism pre-date the founding of the United States of America. Indeed, the Puritans who founded Massachusetts and set the stage for the growth of American liberty were, to a man and woman, ferociously opposed to any manifestation of Catholicism. When those Puritans came from Europe to America, the war between Protestantism and Catholicism was still raging in Europe (when the Puritans landed at Plymouth Rock Europe was in the second year of what would become the Thirty Years War which was just a horrific war made even worse by sectarian animosities being used as a cloak for greed and cruelty). We, as it were, inherited a bigotry…but Islam never felt such animosity in America until people of the Muslim faith started to massacre Americans for no justifiable reason whatsoever.

Remember that – it is key: there is not and has not been an iota of justification for Muslims to feel hostility towards the United States. Indeed, the proper feeling among Muslims should be gratitude…gratitude that American influence was set against the European colonial powers; gratitude that when Muslim States started to steal Western assets via nationalization the United States refused to coerce Islam in to restoring the stolen property; gratitude that the United States has restrained Israel from occupying Cairo and Damascus; gratitude that we pressured Israel to give up the Sinai and the West Bank even though Israel had no cause to do so; gratitude that we have helped to topple tyrants ruling over Muslim States; gratitude that time and time again the United States has rushed aid to Muslim States stricken by disaster. The hatred felt by Muslims towards the United States is unreasonable…and the murder of Americans by people claiming to act in the name of Islam is a blot upon Muslim honor. This blot is compounded by the fact that Americans have yet to see a vigorous, Muslim campaign to stamp out the people who murder Americans.

The words “bigotry” and “mistrust” are not synonymous. We would be nothing more than bigots if we asserted that all Muslims are bad – but if we express mistrust of Muslims, the question must be asked – why? Because Muslims have unjustifiably attacked Americans. Because we have many examples of Sharia-advocates using it as a tool for persecution. Because some of the most fervent advocates for Sharia have connections to the most vile, anti-American groups. Certainly no American will object to a Muslim going to an Islamic court to clarify matters of faith and morals – no more than any American, of whatever belief, objects to a Catholic getting a ruling on the validity of a marriage. But there is enough evidence in the actions of some Muslims who advocate for Sharia to convince Americans that Sharia is not compatible with American ideals.

It doesn’t have to remain this way – in fact, in just a few, short years American attitudes can be vastly altered. All Americans will need to see is action on the part of Muslims to go after those who attack the United States and/or use Sharia as an excuse to brutalize their fellow human beings. It won’t do the least bit of good for 10,000 people to swear that 99.9% of Muslims would never dream of attacking Americans or using Sharia as a means to oppress…words are meaningless unless matched to action. It shouldn’t take American special forces and drone attacks to kill radical Islamists – Muslims should be doing it. The sort of people who carry out terrorist attacks and use Sharia for oppression are not fit for decent company…no rational, well-meaning people would tolerate such in their midst. But just as long as Islam at least appears to tolerate those sort, so will American mistrust of Islam remain, and likely grow.

You can’t excuse yourself from the act of building civilization by simply accusing others of being bigots. We, as non-Muslims, have our duties to perform…to be tolerant of differences, to show love towards our fellow men and women, to fight for what is right. Muslims have these same duties. And I say to all Muslims who wish to have a world in which mistrust of Islam is a thing of the past – get busy: you’ve a lot of work to do. Once you’ve done it, you won’t have to ask for tolerance of Sharia…it will be automatic; in fact, you’ll find Christians and Jews to be willing collaborators in helping Muslim observance of Sharia…provided it is, as some claim, just a matter of adjudicating Muslim religious practices.

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17 thoughts on “Can America Tolerate Sharia?”

BodieSeptember 6, 2011 / 10:25 pm

“there is not and has not been an iota of justification for Muslims to feel hostility towards the United States.”

This is just an astonishingly ignorant statement. If I claimed that conservatives believed this, Amazona would go on a extended screech that I was “lying about conservative beliefs.” But it’s quite clear that your purpose is not accuracy or fealty to truth so much as it is justification for Muslim-bashing.

“We would be nothing more than bigots if we asserted that all Muslims are bad”

Cluster has repeatedly insisted that there is no such thing as a “moderate Muslim” and that all Muslims are indeed radicals. How does that sit with you, Mark?

Green Mountain BoySeptember 6, 2011 / 10:48 pm

Why don’t you go ask these people if they are moderate or not. If you dont want to ask them, there are plenty of other groups just like them. Then I would suggest you read the qur’ran and find your place in that so called holy book.

This allaince you lefties have with the muzzies is only temporary. In the end you will suffer the same fate they have planned for the rest of the non muzzie world.

an alliance brings benefits to two parties….this is not what is happening…the willing believers that islam is a religion of peace are just useful idiots…they have no concept of history and what the truth is about islam…even after they have been told by the muslims themselves…they still refuse to see…

neocon1September 7, 2011 / 4:52 pm

js

you are 100% correct.

Mark Edward NoonanSeptember 6, 2011 / 11:03 pm

Bodie,

We do nothing to Islam – if we were genuinely anti-Islamic, there wouldn’t be an independent, Islamic State anywhere in the world…they owe their independent existence to the forbearance of the United States.

BodieSeptember 7, 2011 / 11:02 am

What a fallacious argument, Mark. And I think you know that. “We do nothing to Islam?” That particular statement rises to the level of a lie. But even if it weren’t, the logic is still tortured at best: Because we have not endeavored to eradicate Islam (despite the urgings of some of your blog commentariat to do just that, I might point out), Muslims can have no beef with the U.S.? Utterly ridiculous. But again, your point is not accuracy or honesty, but rather is justification.

neocon1September 7, 2011 / 4:54 pm

boobie

the rantings of a useful idiot kneepadder.
the knee pads for islam will not spare you fool.

Mark Edward NoonanSeptember 7, 2011 / 5:42 pm

Bodie,

Ok, so you tell me – what have we done to Islam which in any was justifies attacks upon us? I’ll make it easy for you – we’ll ignore all the attacks on un-armed civilians…what justifies a Muslim in attacking US military personnel?

neocon1September 7, 2011 / 5:52 pm

Mark

they owe their independent existence to the forbearance of the United States.
and
our technology and our $$$$$$$$$

BodieSeptember 7, 2011 / 6:31 pm

C”mon, Mark, you pretend to know history. You don’t think that decades of constantly meddling in the Middle East (and other predominantly Muslim areas) for our own gain and with little to no regard for, you know, the actual people in the countries we’re meddling with isn’t bound to create some ill will? Would you be OK with it if the tables were turned, or would you claim that the U.S.’s gripes would be not only legit, but righteous?

Actually, I know the answer to that question first question: You don’t. After all, you’re the type who actually believes that an Iraqi whose neighborhood was destroyed by U.S. forces should be grateful and has no right to be angry about it.

And that’s not even getting into the constant drumbeat of anti-Islam idiocy that you and yours keep up here in the U.S. (which is, of course, the thing you’re attempting to justify with your embarrassingly ignorant post).

You don’t like Islam. Loud and clear. But to opine that Muslims have exactly zero reasons to be angry with the U.S. is such a stupid statement, it’s the kind of thing neocon would say, and don’t you at least endeavor to be a notch or two less ridiculous than him?

Speaking of neocon, he asserts that all Muslims are bad; a bigot among your own ranks, by your own definition! And what say you about cluster’s rumination that all Muslims are, by definition, “radical”–sound right, or sound a bit crazy?

jsSeptember 6, 2011 / 11:17 pm

sharia gives every muslim the right to marry 3 women…following the example of mohammad…

women dont get 3 husbands though…

and sharia allow a muslim to kill a non muslim…without fear of reprisal or criminal charge…as long as the infidel failed to pay his jitzya taxes…

and if the infidel does pay his jitzya tax…if a muslim takes the infidels daughters…and forces them to to cite the ole coversion statements…that muslim may keep the daughters of the infidel from the infidel…and claim them as his wife…as young as 9 years old is lawful to marry…the infidels female child…the male children may be…forced into service to wealthy, older men to pay thier board…

no conflicts with the US Constitution? tell that to smith and wesson stooge…

No, we absolutely cannot tolerate Sharia. It is utterly incompatible, indeed hostile, to the American Constitutional concept of ordered liberty and natural rights. It is a theocratic legal code that combines religion and state.

jsSeptember 7, 2011 / 9:14 am

there it is…what ive been saying all along…islam is not a religion…it is a form of government…mohammad was not known at the prophet of islam until 100 years after his death….the current koran is what omar created…out of rumors and legends of the powerful warlord that mohammad was…

Jesus came as the Lamb that was slain the first time – remember what John the Baptist said when Jesus came onto the scene, as he was standing before a great crowd of people…Matthew 3:11 – “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

John sees Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!!!

When Jesus comes again the second time, He’s not coming as a lamb, but as a Lion, to Judge, and every account and deed will be exposed in the light of His Word. Muslims will give an account for their deeds, but I believe they won’t be held to as high a standard as those who preach the Gospel message, to a lost and dying world. We are held accountable for our own sake, as well as theirs to make sure they hear and know that they have a Savior who awaits them with open arms, if they would just accept His plan of Salvation for their life.